Thursday, May 2, 2013

Despatches: the Jamaica Reading Association's National Reading Week and an Authors' Association

In today’s Gleaner there was an article on "National Reading
Week: Improving student literacy". During the year, there are a number ofweeks/days when it seems, sponsored by
various organizations, adults read in
schools, and I am pleased that
these organizations show their interest in this way. National Reading Week, implemented
by the Jamaica Reading Association, runs from April 28 to May 4, and this year is
sponsored by First Heritage Co-operative Credit Union (FHC). The article in
today’s paper highlighted the activities at variousschools, indicating that employees will be
reading at schools across the island wherever FHC has branches. What caught my
eye and gladdened my heart though, was that the article stated that the official
book for reading week is No Boy Like Amanda by first time author, Hope Barnett.
I’m pleased on two counts; one, because it is a Jamaican book. So often we see
photos of people reading books to children and they are foreign books. Of course I’m glad
that they are reading any at all, but
reading a Jamaican book sends such a positive message to the child. It
says,‘If a Jamaican can write a book,
then so can I write a book; my stories matter, my life is important’. Two, choosing
a book from a first time author is such a hopeful message to all new authors. I was delighted to meet the
author at the Kingston Book Festival some weeks ago as I had already bought her
book. (Of course, authors can be delighted to meet other authors; like meeting a
celebrity sort of thing. Indeed!) So I laud the Jamaica Reading Association.

Next news: JAMCOPY had a meeting last week to try again to form an authors’ association. There
have been many attempts over the years to form authors’ associations and they
have faltered as people got discouraged, mainly, I think, because they discovered how
difficult it was to get published. One of the longest lasting organizations was
the Children’s Writer Circle, founded by Billy Hall and Pat Persaud some 20
plus years ago. It was vibrant for many years and all sorts of creative ways
were found to publish and sell/market books.Some years ago when Jean Forbes, Lorise DaCosta, Hazel Campbell and I
tried to revive it, it was short lived; I think because we ran in to that same
problem - how to get published? This organization being formed now is for all of us writers; children’s, adult,
textbook, including journalists, website writers, etc. and editors, the too often
forgotten, but essential element in the publishing process. I think that this is
a good time for us to try again, because it appears that with the new technologies
we can all get published if we wish; self publishing is all the rage. Mind
you, the organization will not just be about writing and being published, but
will be looking at issues like copyright, standards, and so on. Carole Newman, General
Manager of JAMCOPY, gave a comprehensive presentation by way of a guide for us
last week. Some of us have volunteered
to be on the steering committee. I’ll keep you posted, and at the very least,
let you know how you can join once the organization is operational.

This was excellent Post. It was informative and kept my interest. I am happy to know tha JAMCOPY is trying again to form an association of authors and hope that this can be realised as soon as possible. Perhaps you also need to be considering other options for authors to publish their work other than the traditional ways.One option is blogs.A writer can use blogs both to promote and to sell their works.

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About Me

I'm author of children's stories and editor of textbooks. My stories have been published in the UK, the USA and Jamaica. I have won a number of awards, including a Bronze Musgrave Medal from the Institute of Jamaica (2004) and the special prize for the best children's story by the Commonwealth Foundation (2011). I have prsented papers on children's literature both in Jamaica and overseas, and have run writing workshops both in Jamaica and the wider Caribbean.